Council praises community on action plan for Tatyoon

TATYOON - Ararat Rural City Council has heaped praise on the Tatyoon community as it pushes ahead with its Community Action Plan.

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TATYOON - Ararat Rural City Council has heaped praise on the Tatyoon community as it pushes ahead with its Community Action Plan.

Director for council services, Neil Manning said the Community Action Plan is an initiative to assist communities to develop and prosper - provide community development support and partnership projects.

"We congratulate the community of Tatyoon in achieving these results for their community," he said.

The Tatyoon CAP was finalised in January 2014. The plan identified community priorities and projects for their future development.

The activities that Tatyoon has listed in its 2013 - 2017 plan include establishing a new tennis/netball club room, new netball coaches boxes court side, upgrade and maintain hall facilities, establish shelter plantations, a safe parking strategy and upgrade and maintain oval drainage and playing surface.

Cr Gwenda Allgood said the community appeared to be progressing ahead of schedule, with some of the projects outlined in the plan already achieved or partially achieved.

"It is very pleasing to see some of these items have already been ticked off by the community," she said.

"I know that by the appearance of the state of the ground they looked to have already done what they had planned for 2016.

"It is really good to know that while some of their action plans have a received a little bit of funding others haven't but they've actually got on and done the job and I give them great credit for what they've actually done."

Mr Manning said Community Action Plans provide an opportunity for a community to prioritise projects and activities that they wish to achieve within their own communities.

"This process enables communities to have ownership of their environment and enhance community capacity building in achieving these goals," he said.

The Tatyoon community decided they did not want to have formal facilitation in developing the plan, instead, they engaged through a community survey and via the Tatyoon Recreation Reserve Committee of Management which incorporates a number of community clubs within the Tatyoon area.

Mr Manning said the committee specifically elected to write the plan themselves in their own words, although in developing the actions they elected to use the template provided by council.

He said council officers assisted in the development of the plan through the provision of administrative support including mail-out and collation of the survey, design of a new front cover for the plan and printing and distribution to the community.

"This plan belongs to the community of Tatyoon," Mr Manning said.

"They have identified their priorities and have taken responsibility for these priorities.

"Council officers have met internally across Council directorates to discuss items on the action plan and determine appropriate and available support for the Tatyoon CAP."

Mr Manning said assistance required to see the CAP come to fruition will include: Grant application support via community development, planning support through the projects and sport and recreation area as well as the parks and gardens area of the infrastructure department.

"The community development and client services department will encourage and facilitate as appropriate the review of this plan on an annual basis and assist in sourcing financial assistance to undertake these activities in compliance with any Council requirements or other relevant legislative requirements under the Local Government Act 1989," he said.

The previous Tatyoon Community Action Plan 2006 - 2009 prioritised projects which have all been completed.

The projects included the hall upgrade, kitchen reproof and painting, playground removal of old equipment and installation of new playground equipment, streetscaping the avenue of honour volunteer maintenance, new entrance to the cemetery, and netball club upgrade $100,000 for netball court upgrade.

Funding for the projects was gained through their local Recreation Reserve Committee of Management with some funding assistance provided by Ararat Rural City Council.